What A Healthy Youth Ministry Looks Like

A healthy parish is going to have a healthy youth ministry program.  Without the next generation, a church loses its appeal for families.  It lacks in enthusiasm and seldom changes.  A church without a healthy youth ministry is essentially dying.

If you want to help your church grow you need to make sure your youth ministry program is more than over glorified babysitting for teenagers.  A healthy youth ministry has:

A COMMITTED AND SUPPORTED LEADER

A healthy youth ministry needs a full-time youth minister who is able to create opportunities and systems for teens to go deeper.  The reason a full-time youth minister is important is because they can:

• Bring consistency which leads to commitment and momentum from the teens.

• Expand the church’s capacity to reach more people.

• Help the church continually grow because youth ministry is constantly thinking outside the box.

To find and keep a full-time youth minister you need to make sure you:

• Provide them with a fair salary and benefits.

• Give them clear expectations and vision.

• Invest in them professionally and spiritually.

A youth minister not only creates programs but gives the next generation a voice.  If teens in your church feel heard they’ll be more likely to engage because they’ll know they now matter.

TEENAGERS GROWING RELATIONALLY WITH OTHERS

While you want to equip teens with the wisdom and tools they need to navigate through life you can’t give it to them if they aren’t receptive.  Most times teens aren’t willing to embrace the content youth ministries offer because there is a lack of trust.

Trust comes from building relationships and the perfect format for facilitating relationships is a small group program.  It’s where teens can learn to be open and vulnerable.  It’s where they are reminded that they aren’t alone.

The more confident teens are in their relationships the more likely they are to listen to the information, insight, and wisdom we want to share.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION TO SERVE

Teenagers can do more than manual labor.  They have the ability to lead the changes that you desire to make for your community because of their enthusiasm and openness.

The best way to utilize their gifts and talents is through opportunities to serve in and outside your church.  To make those opportunities truly effective you need:

• Partner them up with an adult who they can apprentice.

• Give them opportunities to take responsibility and make decisions.

• Invest in their leadership potential through resources and experiences.

The more you can encourage the next generation to serve the more vibrant you can make your church.  Their enthusiasm and openness are contagious.

Youth ministry is more than a bunch of activities.  It’s an opportunity to mobilize the next generation to make an impact on your church’s effectiveness to grow disciples.

If you are looking to build a healthy youth ministry in your parish check out my book Rebuiding Youth Ministry: 10 Practical Strategies for Catholic Churches.